Children in Cocoa Industry

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Much of the chocolate we enjoy may be tainted by child slavery. Anti-Slavery International’s latest research shows the continuation of child trafficking a form of modern slavery, to cocoa farms in the Ivory Coast, which produces almost 40% of the world’s cocoa. Instead of going to school young boys are forced to spend long days hacking open cocoa pods with machetes, handling dangerous pesticides and carrying heavy loads - work that is deemed extremely hazardous, can lead to injury and ill-health, and that no young child should have to do.

Many global companies make large profits from cocoa produced by children in slavery working in the cocoa sector in the Ivory Coast. Big multinational commodity trading companies buy cocoa sourced from Ivorian cocoa farms where children in slavery are frequently found, and export it to the global brands which make and sell chocolate worldwide.  

Sustained action from concerned consumers has helped pressure some of the world’s major chocolate companies to take responsibility to help end the appalling practice of using child slaves within cocoa production. However, the ‘middlemen’ trading companies have quietly sat by and done little to tackle the issue, failing to take their proper share of responsibility for the part they play in the problem, whilst continuing to make large amounts of money from trading cocoa. 

 

Home for all recognized that to cease all trade with cocoa farmers would imply huge suffering for poor communities. We also understand that the extent and remoteness of cocoa communities makes it extremely difficult to ensure that all cocoa purchased is free from slavery. Anti-Slavery's report notes that slavery, including child trafficking, is more than a simple economic issue: it arises also from a cultural attitude that regards it acceptable to economically exploit the vulnerable. However, action to reduce and prevent the trafficking of children is still possible by, for example, focused work on social and economic empowerment of vulnerable children in their countries. Until this regional perspective to the problem is adopted and appropriate action put in place, any national and local efforts to limit child trafficking are likely to have their full potential constrained. Home for all has freed 2000 children from the cocoa industry.